True crime
stories are extremely popular right now, with the explosion of popularity
behind the Serial podcast showing that an unbelievable narrative told well can
often be more exciting than an action film. A
Murder in the Park takes a unique approach, evolving from an investigative
crime procedural to a story about corruption and deceit. To say that this story
plays out in a satisfying way would be a stretch, though it remains
consistently fascinating throughout every twist and turn.
In the summer of
1983, two teenagers were senselessly killed in Chicago’s Washington Park,
leading to the arrest of known thief and criminal, Anthony Porter. Porter was
convicted by the evidence against him and sentenced to death, but a group of
students led by their journalism professor fought to reverse this decision in
1998. In what appeared to be an inspiring case of injustice corrected, Porter
was eventually pardoned and another suspect was arrested. It seemed as though
these students had done what the justice system had failed to accomplish the
first time around, until the details about their investigation began to come to
light.
Alstory Simon
replaced Porter as the primary suspect, sentenced to 37-years on a videotaped
confession he was coerced into making. The film begins to peel back the layers
of the investigation that led to this confession, discovering the fallacy in
the new evidence and ulterior political motives for wanting Porter to be
released when he was. Simon seemed to be an unfortunate pawn in a larger scheme
to abolish the death penalty in Illinois
The first hour
or so of A Murder in the Park remains
engaging with each of the narrative twists, though it does feel like the final
third of the film starts to go in circles. The material starts to repeat
somewhat and there is no resolution satisfying enough to match the set-up, so
that it feels like filmmakers Shawn Rech and Brandon Kimber are scrambling to
find an ending. While this doesn’t take away from the elements that work, there
were moments that I wondered if there was enough material to warrant a feature
film.
The DVD special
features only include a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6.5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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